The space is already there.
A garage becomes an office, a studio, or an attached apartment with its own door and kitchen. It is the least expensive of the three projects, and for some homes it is still not worth doing. The report tells you which.
[Hero photograph pending — a converted garage from the driveway, the door opening infilled with a window wall and a real front door, the driveway now a small patio. P-14]
Living space, or an apartment.
A bonus room, an office, a studio
Insulated, heated, finished, with the garage door replaced by a wall and a window. It stays part of the house — no separate entrance, no kitchen — and follows the rules for the house.
Its own door, its own kitchen, its own tenant or parent
That makes it an attached accessory dwelling unit, and your city's ADU rules apply — which since HB 1337 are more generous than they used to be, including on parking.
Three things, said plainly.
Ceiling height and the slab
A garage floor is usually lower than the house and slopes to the door; a finished floor and a code-height ceiling have to fit between them.
Where the plumbing can run
A bathroom or a kitchen needs a drain line with fall to the sewer or septic. Where the garage sits relative to the main line decides whether that's a trench or a pump.
Whether your HOA allows it — because many don't
Covenants are private agreements the city does not enforce, the report cannot read them, and garage conversions are the project they most often prohibit. Check yours before anything else.
The parking question. Some cities require the parking space you're removing to be replaced. State law limits that requirement for accessory dwelling units near transit. [Researched parking rules by city — P-13]
The least expensive of the three — and sometimes still not worth doing.
[Sourced Puget Sound garage-conversion cost range — research, P-13] Published regional ranges for a conversion run well below a backyard home, but a conversion that needs a new slab, a pumped drain and a full energy-code envelope can cost more than it returns. The report does that arithmetic for your garage rather than assuming the answer.
A fixed price comes only from a proposal after a site visit. Every proposal excludes permits, utility fees and Washington sales tax. Construction is by [Builder of record — pending], WA contractor reg. [WA contractor reg. no. — pending].
Questions people ask about conversions
Do I lose my parking?
You lose the garage. Whether the city requires a replacement space depends on your city and on whether the conversion is an accessory dwelling unit; the report checks the rule for your address.
Can I rent it out?
If it has its own entrance and kitchen it is an attached ADU, and in most Washington cities it can be rented, with no owner-occupancy requirement. Short-term rental rules are separate.
Does it add value?
Finished, permitted living space usually appraises; an unpermitted conversion usually doesn't and can complicate a sale. The report is not an appraisal and says so.
Find out whether your garage is worth converting.
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